"You're never going to replace what a guy like Garrett has done with one pitcher,'' says Angels manager Mike Scioscia, cognizant of Richards' 1.95 ERA since June 4, including an opposing batting average of .195. "But as a group, I think we can do what we need to get done in the absence of Garrett.

"We're playing with confidence now, and I don't think there's anybody in that clubhouse that doesn't feel that we're going to move toward our goal, even with the setback of not having Garrett.''

While everyone suddenly is worried about who will fill the void, with the Angels summoning veteran Wade LeBlanc on Thursday, the reality is the reinforcements already are in place.

They have enough to still win the AL West, or seal a wild-card berth, ending their four-year playoff drought.

No, we're not talking about journeymen such as LeBlanc, Randy Wolf or Chris Volstad, who will be called upon to absorb the remaining seven starts Richards would have made down the stretch.

We're talking about the $442.5 million in dudes they grabbed during the 2011 and 2012 offseasons.

Pujols, with 23 homers and 77 RBI, now is living up to his end of the deal and resembling the man who tormented the National League for the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's up to Hamilton and Wilson to finally do the same.

The Angels' season depends on them.

Hamilton, who signed a five-year, $125 million contract, has been lost since returning from his torn thumb ligament in June. He's hitting .249 with six homers and 32 RBI since his return, including 92 strikeouts in 289 plate appearances.

And he has yet to hit a home run at Angel Stadium this season.

It has to change. And quickly. The Angels have 10 games remaining against the Oakland Athletics -- with seven before Labor Day -- starting this weekend in Oakland.

Hamilton, who asked for a mental day of rest earlier this week and then got another for good measure, responded Wednesday night with his best game in a month. He drove in three runs with a double and two sacrifice flies. His three RBI equaled his combined total in the previous 73 plate appearances.

Thursday, Hamilton drove in the Angels' first run with an RBI double. So perhaps his miseries are near an end.

Yet Scioscia continues to show confidence in him, keeping him in the cleanup spot. Hitting coach Don Baylor insists Hamilton will bounce out of the funk, convinced he has too much talent. And Angels owner Arte Moreno has no choice but to believe in him, since he's the one signing his paychecks.

If the Angels are going to hang on and win the AL West, they simply can't survive without Hamilton at least resembling the player who tore up the division when he was with the Texas Rangers. They might not have the dominant pitching without Richards, but if Hamilton recovers, they'll sure have the offense.

Wilson, who becomes the No. 2 starter behind Weaver, is just as vital to their October hopes.

He's having one of the worst seasons of his career since he became a full-time starter, going 10-8 with a 4.59 ERA. He endured a recent six-game stretch in which he yielded a 11.03 ERA, giving up 43 hits and 14 walks in 23 2/3 innings. Not once did he last longer than five innings.

Wilson, in the third year of a five-year, $77.5 million contract, has shown improvement in his last two starts, winning both, and giving up three earned runs in 12 innings.

It's a start.

The Angels need more innings from him. They need more dominant performances. They can't rely on youngsters Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker continuing their magic with Tyler Skaggs out for the season after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery this month.

Sure, it would have been easier if Richards' injury had happened before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Now, with every contender in baseball knowing the Angels are desperate for a starter, fat chance anyone will let a starter slip through to the Angels.

The Angels, who have acquired four relievers in the last seven weeks, have no choice but to pull through it themselves.

After all, the A's didn't pause to bemoan the loss of starters A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker before the start of the season.

It didn't stop the St. Louis Cardinals from winning the 2011 World Series without an inning from Adam Wainwright; they're currently in playoff position, 1 1/2 games out of first in the National League Central while playing without All-Star catcher Yadier Molina and No. 2 starter Michael Wacha.

"It reminded me of 2011 when we lost Wainwright,'' said Angels third baseman David Freese, who was on that team with Pujols. "And that year ended up pretty good.''

Certainly, it hasn't stopped the Detroit Tigers, who have gone through four starting shortstops this season, lost three of their setup men to season-ending injuries and have two ailing starters in Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez.

The Baltimore Orioles lost catcher Matt Wieters for the season after 26 games, and All-Star third baseman Manny Machado has made 82 starts, but their nine-game lead in the AL East is the largest in baseball.

Now, it's the Angels' turn to step into the ring with adversity.

Sure, they had won 19 of Richards' 26 starts this year, but he'd already thrown a career-high 168 2/3 innings. There's no guarantee fatigue wouldn't have interrupted his roll at some point.